


The Consequences of a Royal Bond

by TriggeringAngel



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Blood, Gen, Gods are dicks, HurtNoctWeek, Minor Injuries, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Passing Out, Stasis, mentions of past injuries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-03-06
Packaged: 2019-03-28 00:56:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13892847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TriggeringAngel/pseuds/TriggeringAngel
Summary: Sometimes having such a bond to the Crystal is more of a curse than a blessing, especially when it comes to stasis.





	The Consequences of a Royal Bond

It seemed like a good idea at first, at least to Noctis and who were his retinue to deny the request of their prince. Except Ignis had warned him, saying that it might have been in their best interest to choose a different hunt, even if the reward was over seven thousand gil which would leave them with just enough left over for them to be safe if they were to sleep just one night at Galdin Quay; Noctis was tired of sleeping on such a hard ground, it would make old memories bubble up to the surface whenever he threatened to sleep for longer than necessary, even if he wanted so badly to do so. It also didn't help that the caravan and hotel that they occasionally stayed at were nice, but only for a while; the mattresses were either too soft or too hard so the comfort never lasted for long, then again, anything was better than sleeping on a rock floor. So the hunt seemed more than worth it, however, he now realized his mistake; his oversight led him to believe that a mere three ashenhorn would be easy to off, especially with their experience. Yet that proved to not be the case, he didn't realize that three ashenhorn was as bad as fighting three herds of dualhorn. Sure, they've fought many difficult enemies, but this was just ridiculous. Despite all this, Noctis was determined to get this hunt done so they all could finally get some much-needed sleep on a mattress that actually knew how to make you feel good.

  
_It was worth it, damnit_

  
Noctis warped to a nearby ashenhorn, swinging his sword down on it with his engine blade, he could hear the familiar light but harsh pulsing of his magic thrumming in his ears, similar to that of a heartbeat, except this beat only appeared whenever he was getting close to going into stasis. The thought of being in stasis left a bitter taste in his mouth, he would need to warp to a safe point so he could take an ether. He was shaken out of his thoughts when he heard Gladio yell his name, regaining his vision as he saw the ashenhorn he had been attacking move its body to ram into him, thankfully, the taller male had yelled at him just in time for him to warp dodge the attack, sidestepping to the right to give him a bit of distance from the beast. The pulsing became more intense, almost deafening as his magic slowly escaped his hands as if it was like sand.

  
"Are you even paying attention?!" Gladio snapped at him, suddenly appearing next to him on his left with his broadsword at the ready. Noctis had been reckless, making himself vulnerable to any strike that the beast would have aimed at him. "Uhh... No." He swallowed harshly, licking his dry lips as he steadied himself, moving his body into position. He had to focus, but the constant beat of his magic made it hard. Noctis needed to regain his magic, and quickly, if they wanted to end this hunt sooner, he would need to use an ether and he flexed his fingers, ready to summon an ether in his hand. Right as he was about to pull the vial from his armiger when he went rigid, fingers twitching because he _really_ is reckless sometimes. Had he brought out an ether, he would have gone into stasis and while if he had taken the ether, he would have just easily gained back his magic, however, the only problem was that the pain wouldn't leave, it stayed like a stain, growing fainter by each passing hour but still there until the next day. He was stuck in a sort of dilemma, either stay out and wait and ultimately leave his friends with one less fighter, or he could continue to help, even if he was rather useless in his current state. It doesn't take much to convince Noctis to take the latter.

  
"You good?" Gladio asked, the shield had recognized some of the more visible signs that came when his charge was treading along the edge of stasis, he knew how bad it was, however, he couldn't risk summoning an ether himself to give to Noctis. He was about to yell for Ignis when he saw one of the ashenhorn turn towards them, getting into position to charge at them and apprehension filled him knowing that not only would it be unwise to summon his shield to protect them both, but he would be unable to do it properly and it would leave Noctis mostly open to any attack, lest he use up any bit of magic that the prince had left. He readied himself with his sword, ready to take most of the damage. Then, at that moment, everything seemed to happen in slow motion for the two of them. As the beast got closer, the loud steps of it enough to break through the ringing of magic in the ears of the blue-eyed male. Noctis isn't strong enough to protect himself against the powerful strike, he knows that and he was never really trained to be qualified in taking care of an ashenhorn when he was so defenseless. He's trying to think of a solution but he's panicking and nothing is coming to mind, heart hammering in his chest as the beast got closer and closer to the two of them when suddenly the years of practice kicked in and instinctively he lifted his sword and flung it in a different direction, anything to get out of range from the powerful attack, warping out of the way right as the ashenhorn arrived in the spot he was just in, ramming its horn into the air in an attempt to stab him.

  
It felt like an eternity for his body to reconstruct and as soon as he felt the ground beneath his feet his whole body exploded in pain, trembling knees collapsing under his own weight, reaching his hands down to stop himself from face planting onto the hard floor, knees and hands taking the shock of the impact, scratching against the rough gravel and sand that covered the floor, yet the small pain felt like heaven compared to what would soon follow after.

  
The last grains of magic escaped his hold, now he held nothing, as such was the punishment that came with recklessness, disguising the curse as a blessing that the gods wrapped themselves with a pretty bow. Noctis knew better, it was engraved in his mind but only due to the result of being lectured by Ignis, and Nyx on the occasion when he started using magic back at the Citadel, if he so much as used too much of his magic in one fight. Yet here he was, the familiar feeling of stasis clawing its way inside of his body, nails digging into every gap it could find. The rhythmic beat of the magic now burst into a roaring static, making his ears ring and he no longer found himself caring about the fact that he could not hear a thing, only vibrations but even then his world was spinning, making him feel nothing but everything all at once. His whole body ached, a sort of numbing sensation as he let out a choked noise, not long after that he shut his eyes tightly, almost childishly, body convulsing and shaking violently as he dry heaved, but nothing came out, he couldn't feel anything but spit dripping out of his mouth, throat constricting against nothing.

  
There it was, the familiar feeling of the beginning of stasis. The glacian made her appearance known first as Noctis felt the fleeting feeling of prickling ice racing up his spine, freezing and filling every gap that her grace found in his bruised vertebrae, as if turning his body in any way would result in it shattering to pieces.

  
The archean made himself known soon after, eager to join his sister in arms as his stomach twisted into multiple knots and not letting up, it only tightened, threatening to tear and snap at the seams. Titan doesn't let up his assault, instead, he's feeling generous as a sudden feeling hits him almost instantly, a feeling as if the archean took it upon himself to punch his stomach like it was the ground, teasing him in only a way the gods could.

  
The infernian didn't like to wait his turn, it seemed, as he joined his brother, instead he greeted him by taking his breath away, followed by a searing pain that sprouted in his lungs and throat, it was agonizing even trying to inhale just a bit of the air, Ifrit's smoke improving the air as his lungs tried so hard to grasp even a sliver of the air that was stolen from him, replaced with a flame that couldn't be taken out with an ocean's worth of water.

  
There it was, that the hydraean grew tired of waiting for her turn, deciding to join her siblings, nausea bubbling and rising quickly up his throat, trying to slither its way out like a snake. It's then, through the pain, that Noctis realizes that he's holding his breathing in, he feels courageous enough to try and inhale but his chest shakes, and in that same moment, he feels the nausea advance up his throat a bit more, dancing along the edge of toppling out. There's more pain and he realizes that Leviathan courteously filled his lungs with water and all he can manage at this point is shaky pained gasps and wheezes.

  
The fulgarian has taken his time in joining his four other siblings, gifting Noctis with lightning pain that licks up his limbs and his back, caressing the bones and skin alike. He doesn't notice the pain that he's adding to the list, only noticing the feeling of liquid coating his fingers and slowly starts to spill onto the ground.

  
He opens his eyes and the world is still turning and when he tries to focus on his hands as he shakily turns them over, everything is hazy and he can barely even recognize his hands, just colors, he does remember the white of his knuckles, at least he assumed they were his knuckles, against his pallid skin, it was faint but it was there, he ignored it in favor of looking at the _real_ problem. So when he loosens his fingers, slowly prying them open, it doesn't take long for him to realize that he had penetrated the skin from his tight grip and blood was leaking from the wounds he left. His vision only showed blurry splotches of red on different parts of his palm and fingers, however, he doesn't get enough time to try and take in his palms as the lightning pain stroked his back and limbs like how a mother would in comfort, yet he found no comfort in this striking pain, instead it just made him clench his fingers once more, sting becoming a faint tingle in the ocean of pain he was swimming in.

  
Noctis doubled over with slight pauses, his frozen spine firmly reminding him that Shiva now claimed it despite all its flaws. Yet, that doesn't stop him in doubling over completely, practically folding in on himself in search for some relief, even if it was just minuscule, he would gladly take it, especially considering that he felt as though if he were to so much as straighten up his back in any way at that moment, he would be stretching his skin passed its limit. There's a slight comfort in this position, however, the fulgarian has been waiting for so long and deserved to have some more fun with the prince.

  
A lightning bolt now striking against his head seems to hit all around his skull, no specific place hurting more than the other, the crash of the bolt reverberating all around in waves, a migraine taking form and Noctis is only slightly grateful that his eyes were closed before as any light, even the slightest bit, would make his migraine worsen immensely.

  
The nightmare isn't over yet, he realizes in abrupt horror, there is one last divine being, the one out of the six that has been waiting patiently for his turn, just waiting until all his siblings have had their fun.

  
The draconian is graceful in his approach, an agonizing pain of swords stabbing and cutting him at all angles, cutting into flesh as if it were a swan gliding through water, yet, the one place the swords seemed to gravitate towards was his lower back, harrowing pain coming and going every few seconds, a sort of vibrating feeling that had no rhythm.   
The six gave a gift to the crystal, a pain only the gods were capable of creating and the mystical rock bestowed it on him, a present awaiting him whenever he met face to face with stasis, the present was special as only he received such a pain, maybe it was due to its bond with the Lucis Caelum's, yet no one really knew.

  
It felt like an eternity, suffering from the pain, a pain that seemed to encase his whole body in a cocoon. Suddenly, dread fills him along with the pain and he can't tell if his stomach is churning because of the knots or because of the fact that he just remembered that Gladio was with him. He opens his eyes to look for his friend before he is given a harsh reminder from Ramuh that it was maybe not the _best_ idea to try and look around when the sun that was so high in the air made everything look so much brighter, instantly making him close his eyes, the sting almost felt like the one in his palms, except this one had worse consequences as a wave of pain instantly hit his head, echoing inside.

  
He could hear the distant sound of people calling his name, but he wasn't even sure if he did, in fact, hear someone calling for him, the constant static just wasn't going away. He was so done with the pain, he was tired of it all but apparently, the gods weren't done with giving him pain as an upsurge of agony hit his body and at this point, he was convinced his body was on fire. However, he could feel the faint pull of something being taken from the armiger this time, what it was, he didn't know nor did he care. All he knew was that whatever had been taken had caused the extra pain.

  
Noctis felt a sort of liquid trickle down his cheek, stopping midway due to his hunched over position and he was just surprised he even felt it through his pain, however, because he was essentially blind and mostly deaf at this point, he couldn't tell if it was tears, sweat, or blood, his friends worried tones would usually help in differentiating them, yet, he could hear almost nothing from the outside world, just distant sounds, as if he was too far away to hear them clearly.

  
Noctis _really_ didn't like stasis.

  
Extreme fatigue soon started encasing him like an extra blanket, and it was quick in its work as it steadily made his body gradually more limp, however, the shaking didn't stop, it would continue to make him shiver but just for a few hours. There was no amount of heat that would help him, not even Ifrit or the molten rock of Ravatogh would shave away his tremble. Despite the fatigue, the blinding pain, and the deafening static, he could hear voices, faint but definitely there. He forced his tired body to listen, pain spiking when noises became louder, especially in his head where the migraine once again reminded him that it had made it's new home there but he ignored it the best he could in favor to listen for voices, any voice. The noise became clearer as not only could he finally make out words, but he also heard heavy footsteps and the familiar shots of Prompto's handgun, the voices were closer than they were before, and so were the shots, at least he remembered them farther away before he had fallen into stasis. Stasis made time very hard to tell, he didn't even know how long he had been on the floor, could have been minutes or even seconds but he wouldn't know unless his friends told him just how long.

  
As the voices became clearer, he could make out Ignis and Gladio talking, actually, he didn't even know if he could call that talking, what he did know, was that the overwhelming fatigue that came with stasis was starting to make the words sound unintelligible to him. He could only try and fight off the drowsiness that threatened to overcome him in favor of listening, the irony was almost funny to him, back at the citadel he hated listening, wanting to sleep instead, oh how the tables turn.

  
"We ha.........m out of here!" The unmistakable voice of Ignis perked Noctis up slightly, listening to see if he could make out what was happening. He so badly wanted to see instead but desperate times call for desperate measures.

  
"We nee.....each him first!" The second voice that had spoken up definitely belonged to Gladio, a sense of relief filled him as it sounded like his shield was ok but he knew he couldn't entirely trust his hearing, he just wished it wasn't so hazy, his hearing going in and out when he so badly wished to know what it was that they were saying.

  
Unfortunately for him, his body had finally given out right as footsteps got nearer, static returning as his body became limper, and at this point, he was on the verge of slipping into the abyss that would graciously give him rest. It was dangerous, passing out if he had not received or taken an ether because of the complications that could occur, but he found himself not caring, wanting for this pain to stop even for just a little bit.

  
Yet, right as he was about to become unconscious, he could barely feel a hand grab his right wrist, another hand prying his slightly bloody hand open to place something in his hand, the movements were frantic, that much he could tell. He took notice of the object in his hand, a vile and most likely an ether. The hand that had to pry his hand open forced the same hand to crush the ether and he could instantly feel magic fill him. It didn't take long for the person to carefully start moving him into a different position and even the movements that were forced out of him felt as if he was completely submerged underwater, but from what he could tell, it was Ignis who was carefully working his body into a seated position.

  
Noctis could feel the way his body protested against it, his spine spasms as it's forced upright and his stomach and abdomen feels as if he's being stretched past his limit, even the scar on his back feels like iron on his skin as the skin on his back lights up in fire, a reminiscent of demon venom dancing along the scar, a pain that only reminds him of what occurred many years ago, when he was attacked by the marilith, but he can do nothing about it, he's useless. The fatigue does nothing to dull or lessen the pain, just a reminder of how when he wakes he will be met with the searing pain again. It might not be as bad, he prays that enough hours would pass for him to at least not feel the pain as badly, he only hopes that it will.

  
The fatigue is starting to get stronger and he can hear a muffled voice right next to his ear but no words, just noise against all of the ringings and he barely even registers someone picks up his body, just the waves of pain enlightening his back and only getting worse as a sort of lightning static filled the air.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The next time Noctis wakes up, he's on his side, facing a wooden tile wall, his eyes were still sensitive but he'd recognize the wall that belonged to Galdin Quay anywhere. His mind suddenly registers that he's in the room of Galdin Quay and he moves to quickly sit upright, only for the dull pain in his back to spike up again, making him drop rather heavily onto his back, face screwing up as his impact made his back start to burn up again, groaning lightly.

  
He was tempted to just stay like that, but he knew he had to start moving sooner or later, his body would get so sore if he stayed in the same position for longer than necessary, especially after stasis. He let out a deep sigh through his nose, breath hitching slightly when it burned to breathe in the air, much like as if he was still underwater.   
He expected this to not be over, but it didn't make it suck any less, especially when breathing hurt as much as it did. The only fortunate thing was that he no longer heard the constant static in his ears. He lifted his right arm to cover his eyes, moves sluggish and took more energy out of him than what was wanted.

  
After what seemed like an hour or more, which had actually been just a few minutes, Noctis put his hand back down at his side, deciding that he should at least sit up if he couldn't sleep. He took a deep breath, ignoring the pain as he got himself ready, counting down before he started to push himself up into a sitting position, arms almost giving out before he could successfully sit up properly but he managed to do it. The action had also been taxing on him and he could only imagine what walking would do to him. But now that he was sitting up, he looked over towards where the ocean was, eyes squinting when the light of the sun starting to set reminded him that he still had a migraine, except by now it had lessened into a headache.

  
He took his eyes off of the ocean to look at his lap, lazily moving his hands to his lap with his palms up, taking notice of how there was nothing on his palm, no sign of any blood or wound, a potion most likely given to him by Ignis, he most likely cleaned him too, at least the best he could with the prince's unconscious body.   
At the thought of his royal advisor, his body froze, body turning ridged as his eyes widened, head snapping up to look around the room and maybe it hadn't been the best choice considering how a sharp ripple of pain passed through his head but he ignored it in favor of the slight anxiety that started to settle deep within him; no one was in the room, it didn't even look like anyone else had been there except for him.   
Just where were they?

  
Noctis shook his thoughts away, he knew worrying would do him no well and he could always call if he was really worried, he also knew that they could take care of themselves if it came down to it but it didn't quell his anxiety, not until he saw them first. So, he decided to wait, not wanting to worry them, especially Ignis, if he called just because he was wondering where they were. He laid his head back slowly against the headboard, mind wandering to someone he couldn't help but wonder what had happened to him, the very same person who had taught him to warp and would scold him but end up teasing him right after, wanting to keep the situation light.

  
Nyx had always teased him when it came to stasis during his earlier years, but he became so serious when Noctis was about to reach stasis. The prince gave off _worse_ signs, in a sense, when he became so close to grasping it, that was the first thing Nyx had learned as he taught the royal to warp, he caught it first while Ignis had caught on soon after but only due to him occasionally watching them spar and warp around. The 'glaive had told the prince that stasis was never as bad for anyone else, but Nyx never stayed serious for long, not with Noctis, who he had grown so close to when he taught his future king to warp correctly to higher places, to the kid Nyx had grown so fond of and learned to love as a younger brother, and someone that the prince sought out whenever he wished to escape palace life as quick as possible. Serious situations never settled right with them, so he joked that it must've been because of the fact that he was a Caelum, a royal to the line of Lucis and therefore more connected to the crystal as a whole. But now that Noctis really thought about it, maybe Nyx had been right; that because he was apart of the royal bloodline that stasis was ultimately worse.

  
He had been doing so well too, he hadn't gone into stasis since their first few hunts, learning the hard way that stasis in the wilderness was something that he should avoid by all means necessary. Yet it had to be during the hunt before they were to seek out Galdin Quay.

  
Noctis had wanted to finally relax, but he would only ache, it was annoying to deal with during these few hours that they could stay the only night they had the beds. It also wouldn't be so bad if only the ache didn't burn his whole body, muscles sore as though he had run for miles without stopping, throat tight and aching as well, breathing hurt as well. It got fainter, yes, but he would most likely be restless, in fact, he was surprised about the fact that he had been passed out for so long, of course, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep for long as stasis made sure of that, using nausea to wake him up abruptly only a few hours later, like an alarm clock that had been set an such an early hour.

  
Noctis closed his eyes, praying that the nightmares of his past wouldn't come, that any memory that haunted him wouldn't play like an old record player, but it was hard to ask for something that he knew was impossible, the bad memories always found him when he was most vulnerable anyway. Tears threatening to slip past as the sound of swords impaling flesh and the sounds of blood splashing so violently on the ground echoed and ringed in his ears much like the static that played earlier, his throat constricting as he swallowed, it hurt to keep in the sobs that so desperately wanted to come out but he had no choice as this wasn't the best place for him to let out any emotion.

  
He had to be strong, be as strong as he could be before he could no longer hold it in before he snapped and it all came loose and flooded out. Until then, he wouldn't burden his friends anymore, this was something he could control. He just prayed that he could have control for a while.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this since even before the week started but I didn't officially start until day 1 came and I decided to write whenever I could. I might write another chapter, with maybe some Promptis or Ignoct I'm not so sure, but there will most likely be smut in the next one, focuses on comfort but still smut cause my boy Noctis needs a break jfc y'all are ruthless and I love it. I'm blessed for this week, and I'm even more excited for the free day to see what people write! Also big thanks to my best friend/best boi Levi for giving me the confidence I needed, love you~


End file.
